From August 14 to 28, 2019, the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil hosted the exhibition "Plein air. Historic landscapes of Russia. The view from France".
A cultural event organized by the Fondation des Parcs et Jardins de France, with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the Club Russe des Amis de Notre-Dame de Chartres and the association "Restauration des Parcs et Jardins Historiques de Russie".
Olga Taratynova, President of the "Restoration of Historic Parks and Gardens of Russia" association and Director of the Tsarkoye Selo Imperial Palace, had flown in from Russia for the occasion, and was joined at the opening by a host of local personalities.
In 2017, seven French painters, chosen for their different painting styles, were invited to Russia to paint the landscapes of seven Russian historical parks.
Thierry Lefort, Olivier Desvaux, Barbara Petit, Laurence de Marliave, Céline Bokobza, Cyril Maurette and Emily Starck each took a look at a park: Tsarkoe Selo, Elagin Island, the Rostov Kremlin, Gorki Leninskie, Yasnaä Poiana, the Oldenburg Palace Park and the Marino estate.
In 2018, this exhibition was hosted in Russia by the museums participating in the project.
In 2019, it's France's turn, and the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil has been chosen as the setting for this exhibition.
And so, from August 14th to 28th, all visitors to the château had the pleasure of concluding their visit with this exhibition, whose canvases were hung on the walls of the 13th-century Salle des Archers. An exceptional opportunity to travel to Russia and discover the beauty of Russian nature and park architecture as seen through the eyes of seven French artists.